


His Attendant of the Heart

by drapsmann



Category: Kingdom (Anime & Manga), キングダム | Kingdom
Genre: Ei Sei - Freeform, F/M, I love them so much, Kou-chan, Oneshot, Romance, best canon couple, kou - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:22:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24244225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/drapsmann/pseuds/drapsmann
Summary: After Rou Ai’s execution and the imprisonment of the Queen Mother, Kou doesn’t see her king for a whole week.
Relationships: Ei Sei | Ying Zheng/Kou | Xiang
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	His Attendant of the Heart

**Author's Note:**

> Hey y’all! Here’s a quick little oneshot while I work on school work, a huge commission, and the next chapter of The End of Time. I hope you’re all safe during the pandemic. Enjoy!

It’d been a week since Rou Ai’s execution and the Queen Mother’s imprisonment, yet Kou hadn’t seen a sign of her king. He hadn’t summoned her, nor Rei, even though he tended to do so whenever possible.

Kou looked down at her hands, where she held the pair of earrings that Ei Sei had gifted her after she gave birth to Rei. She brought the green pearls to her chest and held them close to her heart, remembering how much she’d cried during the coalition invasion, and when he travelled to Sai. She had almost forgotten how much it hurt to not see the king, until the past week. As tears welled in her eyes and the deepest depths of her heart ached, she felt her nails digging painful crescents into her hands. Lost in thought, Kou didn’t notice the door open until a shadow fell on her. She snapped her head up, and her eyes widened when she saw her visitor.

“Your Majesty!”

The king looked down at his concubine and smiled lovingly at her, and that’s when Kou noticed how different he looked. It was even more pale than usual, save for the dark circles under his eyes. His cheeks were gaunt, and his hair was scrappy and unkept. Even so, the kindness in his smile that he always showed her was still there.

“Hello, Kou.”

Ei Sei stepped forward, and fell to his knees at Kou’s feet. His head rested on her lap and Kou blushed brightly, going rigid.

“Your Majesty, please, you shouldn’t be kneeling on the floor! And pardon me, but your condition...”

“I just needed to see you.”

The king’s tense shoulders sank as his head settled in the soft clothe of Kou’s robe, and she in turn settled as well.

Hesitant, her hands hovered just above him. Finally gaining the resolve, she laid one hand on his shoulder, and with the other, she softly stroked his hair.

“That outburst at the trial...”

His words were so soft and so tired that she barely heard him, “P - pardon me?”

“When my own mother was screaming those cruel words to me, and you cried out, defending me...I was shocked. Honestly, I had never thought that you would have the courage to do anything that brash.”

“I look back on my words in embarrassment, your Majesty...it was very much out of place for a mere concubine such as myself to speak like that at an imperial trial, especially to her Highness.”

“No, Kou, do not be sorry. That is what I admire most about you, how your kindness towards others brings out the best in you - when you fought off death to warn me of the collusion between Ryo Fui and my mother, when you ran from the invaders with Rei, and when you stood up for me at the trial. You may seem shy at first glance, but you’re a truly brave woman.”

Kou, moved by Ei Sei’s words, felt herself starting to choke up.

“Y...your Majesty, I...”

With a long sigh, Ei Sei began to stand up. “You’re quite right, the floor isn’t comfortable. Help me up, will you?”

“Of course!”

As Kou held her hands out, Ei Sei placed one hand on her shoulder and one on her upper arm, pulling himself up. He rested his forehead on Kou’s, eyes closed, with a smile on his face. He sank down onto her bed, and Kou sat next to him, both content with the silence. Ei Sei leant over, laying his head on Kou’s.

“Do know that I love you, Kou.”


End file.
